


Non-Disclosure Agreement

by Spiderlily_Writes



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/F, Kinda, Secret Relationship, Teasing, Teen Spinoff from an Explicit Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:48:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27903967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spiderlily_Writes/pseuds/Spiderlily_Writes
Summary: A spinoff that's set some point during the continuity of my ficNo, I'm Gonna(though this one also stands on its own), Edelgard and Hilda meet up for coffee, and are accosted by a mutual friend. They haven't made their relationship public yet, but can that secret survive Dorothea Arnault's prodding?
Relationships: Hilda Valentine Goneril/Edelgard von Hresvelg
Comments: 30
Kudos: 75





	Non-Disclosure Agreement

**Author's Note:**

> As I said, this fic is a spinoff of [No, I'm Gonna](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26399326/chapters/64309117), and can be considered canon within that plotline, though further in the future than I've reached with the story right now. For day 5 of [@pastafrutti's](https://twitter.com/pastafrutti) Hildacember prompt list: Coffee. Enjoy!

“Hilda, I don’t think you can reasonably even call that _coffee_ anymore,” Edelgard says. She sounds like she’s either awestruck, or terrified, or maybe _both_ , but Hilda doesn’t really care. She likes her coffee with five creams and four heaping spoons of sugar because, like, she _loves_ herself, you know?

Unlike _Edelgard._ Tapping her spoon against the side of her cup before setting it aside, Hilda looks down at the mug in front of her girlfriend. It’s just…coffee. Plain black beanwater. Hilda’s face twists in disgust.

“At least I have _taste_. Or, like, at least I _can_ taste. I don’t know how you manage to dump that stuff down your throat at all, let alone _like_ it,” she teases, but she bumps her foot against Edelgard’s beneath the table, to make it clear she’s only joking. Edelgard can get surprisingly touchy about stuff like that.

At Hilda’s words, the corner of Edelgard’s mouth tilts upward in a knowing grin, like she’s just realized she’s got a winning Uno hand and there’s not a damn thing Hilda can do about it. That expression _used_ to be really annoying, but now Hilda can’t help but find it a little endearing.“If I have no taste,” she begins, after swallowing a sip of beanwater, “…then what does that say about the fact that I’m dating _you_?”

Hilda scowls, but her expression softens as Edelgard returns her foot-bump. “Well, even people with no taste get it right on accident sometimes. That’s like, statistics, right?”

Edelgard’s snappy retort dies halfway to her lips as a third voice, one that’s familiar to both of them, but neither woman expects to hear, pipes up from halfway across the room.

“Oh my _god_! Edie, Hilda, hi!” calls Dorothea as she quickly trots over to join them. Neither one of them invited her, of course, but neither one has to. Everyone loves Dorothea, and it’s damn near impossible to tell her no. Especially when she’s found an opportunity to gossip. Judging by the twinkle in her eye as she spins a chair around to third-wheel without an ounce of self-consciousness, she’s found one.

“Hey, Dorothea,” Hilda says, her voice carefully even. Her gaze flicks over to meet Edelgard’s for just a quarter of a second, and she sees that her girlfriend’s eyes are wide with panic. So, then, it’s as Hilda suspected. Edelgard hasn’t told anyone they’re dating. Hilda doesn’t blame her; given that Edelgard is ostensibly a ‘public figure,’ it’ll cause an unparalleled shitstorm when people start to find out. Clearly, Edelgard isn’t ready for that yet.

Hilda can see, in that quarter second, the wheels turning in Edelgard’s head. She’s wondering what Hilda’s going to do. She’s hoping Hilda will play along with her. She’s terrified that maybe she won’t. Hilda sighs, deciding that she might as well. After all, it’s not like Edelgard doesn’t have enough on her plate already.

Dorothea turns to Edelgard, propping her chin up on her hand. “Hey, Edie, what’s the matter?” she asks, clearly suspecting what the matter is, but not letting on clearly one way or the other. “I feel like you’ve been dodging me or something! Did I do something wrong?” Dorothea gives Edelgard what Hilda can only assume is her saddest, most hang-dog expression, and Edelgard, amazingly, actually looks _guilty_.

“N-no, nothing of the sort!” Edelgard insists, quickly. “I’ve just been…extremely busy for the last few weeks, is all.” She’s only seen Edelgard that off-balance once before, and it was the night the two of them _met_. Incredible.

Dorothea looks to Hilda, tossing her a wink, before returning to Edelgard. “Clearly not too busy for a coffee date with Miss Hilda Goneril here. I didn’t know you two knew each other! How did you meet?”

“It’s not a date!” Hilda interjects, and out of the corner of her eye, she sees Edelgard visibly relax. She’s certainly not going to tell Dorothea they met in a nightclub bathroom, _that’s_ for sure. They’ll have to get a better, cuter story together than that whenever they decide to start telling people. “It’s, ah…”

Hilda stalls, and Dorothea’s grin turns wolfish. “It’s not? Because it sure _looks_ like a date. Two girls, who I _know_ are _into_ girls, sitting in a coffee shop together, dressed all nice, talking and giggling and such.” Dorothea pauses, looking sideways at Edelgard. “And blushing, too. You’re not subtle, Edie dear.”

Edelgard clears her throat, and when she speaks again, it’s with a degree of certainty and authority that actually makes Dorothea blink. “I am blushing because of your ridiculous insinuations, Dorothea, not because I am embarrassed. This is not a date, it is…”

She swallows. Hilda stares at her. Dorothea waits, grin frozen on her face.

“It is a job interview,” Edelgard finishes, confident. Dorothea blinks again.

“Oh. Is it? Aren’t you the _CEO_ of Hresvelg Pharma?” she asks, innocently. “Why are you doing your own interview? Surely you have people to do that _for_ you?”

Hilda, ever the excellent improviser, jumps in. “She’s looking for a secretary. She’s got a lot of stuff piling up, and figured she could use the help. In fact, since you’re here, you could even tell her what a hard worker I am!” Hilda makes herself sound _extra_ bubbly, and it seems to have the intended effect. Dorothea looks just a _bit_ less suspicious. She rolls her eyes.

“Oh. Yeah. Right. Hilda is a _very_ hard worker. She’s always like, prompt and diligent and stuff. I’m sure you two will get along great,” Dorothea says, without hesitation. Gossip she may be, but Dorothea is also a hell of a good friend, because she’s lying through her teeth on a moment’s notice.

The pieces of their cover story seem to be falling together quite well for Edelgard, too, because she sounds far more at-ease now. “Very good, I’m glad to know that,” she says, looking Hilda over, appraisingly. Hilda shivers. She’s appraising _something_ alright, but not what Dorothea _thinks_ she is. Edelgard sees the shiver, and that little grin returns. “There are other candidates, of course, but I’ll take Dorothea’s advice into consideration when I make the final decision.”

Hilda smiles winsomely. “Thanks so much! And thank _you_ , Dorothea, for letting her know!” she adds, turning to regard her friend. When she does, though, she blanches at Dorothea’s expression. She knows that look. It’s like Edelgard’s Uno-winner look, but times a million. Dorothea’s about to go in for the kill, and there’s absolutely no way for Hilda to warn Edelgard about it. She feels a chill run down her spine and her heart goes icy.

“No problem!” Dorothea says, returning Hilda’s smile. She looks between her two friends for a moment, then hums thoughtfully, tapping her chin with one finger. “I’m sorry I made assumptions, Edie. I just thought, you know, because the lipstick on your neck matches the color Hilda’s wearing, and…”

Flushing bright pink, Edelgard gasps and slaps a hand to the side of her neck where, yeah, Hilda _had_ kissed her earlier. But there’s no mark. There never was. And Edelgard just walked right into Dorothea’s trap. Mother. _Fucker_.

Dorothea’s laugh is high, musical, and _victorious_. “Oh! I knew it! Edie, you’re not _half_ as slick as you think you are. Hilda almost had me going for a second there, but I can read you like a _book_ , dear.”

Edelgard tries to sputter something in the way of indignant denial, but it’s too late. The game is up.

“Don’t worry,” Dorothea says, standing up and returning her chair to the table from which it originally came. Hilda looks up at her, sparing a brief glance for Edelgard, who has turned the same color of pink as Hilda’s hair. “I’m not going to tell anyone. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“You…wouldn’t?” Edelgard says, tentatively. Dorothea pats her on the shoulder, companionably.

“No, of course not, Edie,” she purrs. “You can buy my silence by taking me out to dinner tonight. Your treat. As long as…”

Dorothea looks down at Hilda, her expression both smug and genuinely pleased. “As long as your girlfriend doesn’t mind.”

Hilda lays her head on the table and groans.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Do check out the fic on which this is based if you haven't read it, but be warned, it's Explicit, and the Explicitness hits hard and early. Thanks to [tansybells](https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/tansybells/pseuds/tansybells) for the editing, and if you'd like to come accost me, you can find me on twitter [@spiderlilywrite](https://twitter.com/spiderlilywrite).


End file.
